New research suggests that changes in atmospheric pressure, which often occur during storms, may be related to idiopathic spontaneous pneumothorax (ISP) or collapsed lung.
During a 4-year period, French and Italian researchers studied the relationship between ISP occurrence and meteorologic conditions in Bologna, Italy.
Atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature were obtained for each day of the study period, and researchers defined ISP clusters as the hospitalization of at least two people with pneumothorax within 3 days of one another. By the end of the study period, there were 294 ISP episodes, 84% of which occurred in 76 clusters. Results showed a significant association between clusters and wider differences in atmospheric pressure.
Researchers also reported a significant relationship between pneumothorax and storms. This study appears in the June issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.